“We are responsible for our own salvation,” the Chief Apostle said in his sermon in Niamey. God puts the necessary means at our disposal so that we can obtain salvation. Our mission is to accept these means.
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Photo: NAK Westdeutschland
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Photo: NAK Westdeutschland
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Photo: NAK Westdeutschland
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Photo: NAK Westdeutschland
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Photo: NAK Westdeutschland
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Photo: NAK Westdeutschland
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Photo: NAK Westdeutschland
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Photo: NAK Westdeutschland
On Friday, 7 February 2020, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider conducted a divine service in Niamey in Niger. His sermon was based on Isaiah 55: 1: “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
Liberty in Christ
“Jesus was free when He was on earth because He always did exactly what He wanted to do,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider explained. “He had decided to do His Father’s will no matter what. And neither man nor the devil could prevent Him from doing God’s will. Jesus Christ deserves to enter heaven because He fulfilled the will of His Father perfectly.”
Divine salvation
The Chief Apostle explained that human beings can only obtain the salvation offered by God if they fulfil the conditions required by God. To obtain salvation in Christ, we must
- believe in Jesus Christ.“Whoever believes in Jesus Christ is convinced that Jesus is always right and that His teaching applies to all at all times.”
- be reborn out of water and the Spirit and regularly participate in Holy Communion. If you want to enter into the kingdom of God, you must have been reborn with water and the Spirit. If you want to go to heaven you must receive Holy Communion.”
- grasp salvation when God offers it to us. “I cannot say: ‘God, I don’t feel like it today. I don’t have time. Maybe when I am older, when I am seventy, I will look after my soul.’ Today is the day God offers us salvation. We must utilise it today.”
- completely surrender to God’s will. We cannot negotiate our salvation. “The Lord has decided: ‘To have salvation we must believe and have obedience of faith. We must apply the gospel, the whole gospel.’ I cannot come and say to God: ‘Now look, I keep almost all the commandments, but there are a few I just can’t keep. However, I will give you a special offering so you can deliver me.”
- love God sincerely. “Jesus wants us to do everything we do out of love for Him. And how does He measure our love? He tells us: ‘If you love God you must also love your neighbour. Your love for God cannot be greater than the love for your neighbour.’”
Accepting salvation
“So what must we do then in order to obtain the salvation offered by God?” the Chief Apostle asked further. He answered that if we want to attain salvation we must
- make a decision. “We really need to make a decision. It is not enough to be baptised with water and the Spirit: we must really make a commitment.”
- keep our promises by persevering right to the end. “Jesus said: ‘He who endures to the end shall be saved.’ It is not enough to follow Jesus, to obey Him, and to serve Him for a few years. We must be faithful until He returns.”
- renounce certain things. “Whoever chooses salvation in Jesus Christ must know: by choosing Jesus Christ, you must give up certain things. We have chosen Jesus: that is our priority. And sometimes we need to give something up for Him
- shoulder our responsibility. “I am responsible for my own salvation. God gives it to me, He gives me everything I need to obtain it. But from the moment I am a child of God, He says to me: ‘Now you are responsible for your own salvation.’”
- confront the adversary who wants to rob us of all the good things. “The moment we say yes to Jesus we will be attacked by the spirit from below. We must accept it and defend ourselves.”
In conclusion, the Chief Apostle said: “Salvation is a grace which God offers to all of mankind. In order to be delivered we must persevere in faith, obedience, and love.”